Lucca and Pisa, Italy

We chose Lucca, also called one of the hidden Tuscany gems, to be our day trip getaway. We have reconnected with Vitaliy’s brother, Alex, here as he was traveling through Italy for a few days as well and were ready to explore more.

Lucca is known for its preserved renaissance walls that still remain around the old city and create about two and a half mile path outside the city.

Another big attraction in Lucca is the Piazza Anfiteatro which was built on the ruins of the Roman amphitheater. Today, the plaza is busy with restaurants, flower markets, and people enjoying the atmosphere and observing its unusual oval shape.  The old town of Lucca is also known for its many, over a hundred, towers. Each tower used to be a private fortress of a wealthy family. Nowadays, some of the towers provide breathtaking views of the surroundings. Guinigi tower is very popular and is known for its roof garden. The city is full of old architecture, churches, shops, and restaurants. We would have plenty to do here on a longer stay. Each Tuscan town is recognized for its specialty food. Lucca is not an exception . We stopped by in a tiny dinner called Pizzeria da Felice recommended by Rick Steves and loved the cecina, garbanzo-bean crepes. The tiny benches outside were a cool feature and kept us enjoying the Italian atmosphere outside. We got to Pisa not too long before sunset. Pisa is best known by its Field of Miracles which includes the leaning tower. I am sure I have seen the tower hundreds of times before but never really paid attention to where exactly it was located. Now, I saw it with my own eyes. Some people say, we learn the best by hands on or eyes on in this occasion. 🙂 The grounds of the Field of Miracles weren’t crowded at the time. We were able to catch some pretty nice pictures and enjoy the ancient architectures of Duoma, the Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the Museum of the Sinopias, and the Camposanto Cemetery, the five buildings of the Field of Miracles. Each building contains a rich history. I have learned that the leaning tower was under construction for two centuries and is currently leaning under 5% angle. The tower still welcomes a limited number of visitors at a time and tickets have a 30 minutes limit. Our little angel is flying around and testing mama’s patience in trying to get a good picture of her on this non-everyday background.

I must say one of the advantages of traveling with a child in Italy was being able to use a restroom in a restaurant or a shop that would otherwise not allowed you unless you dine in. Sometimes, they would refuse to take my money when I tried to pay in the places that require payment for the services. We usually try to look for a small shop or cafe where we could still make a small purchase but it didn’t work out that well every time. With a toddler, you don’t get much of an advance notice ;). As much as we enjoyed this day the evening didn’t turn out so great for us. We were all tired after the day of adventures in two cities and were ready for some much needed rest at our lovely Tuscany home but wanted to make a stop in one of the local grocery stores first. Unfortunately, it was one of those times when your navigation says “You have reached your destination” when you are not even close to where you need to be. We found a parking spot on a street and once everyone was out of the cars, we realized we had a little bit of walking to do to get to the store. The minute I realized our car will be out of our sight, I asked my hubby if he locked the car. Thinking we parked right next to the store, I have left my tiny backpack on the car floor just below Ashley’s car seat. Being aware of the pit pockets and car break ins in Italy didn’t save us from finding a broken window in our car when we returned from out grocery trip about 15 minutes later. I couldn’t thank God enough for still finding my backpack containing our passports and my credit card laying untouched just where I left it. The next day we realized my brother’s backpack was missing but, thankfully, he took his valuables with him before walking out of the car.

Our gentlemen companions did have to make an extra trip to Florence the next day to get the window fixed but I was so grateful it didn’t turn out worse.

Tip I have learned from one of my well-traveled work bosses is to always leave a copy of your passport with someone who would be able to fax, email it to you in case something does go wrong. Having a copy of your passport is one of the things that would expedite its replacement. Of course, our incident will always be an alarm for us in the future but it never hurts to be prepared just in case.

Happy and Safe Travels to you all!